Car coupler



Jan 1,

CAR COUPLER Filed April 5, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 1, 1924 1,479,100

w. KELSO CAR COUPLER Filed April 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gnueufoz 4Quanta Patented Jan. 1, 1924..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM KELSO, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOK TO THE MOGONWAY &

TORLEY COMPANY. OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN-SYLVANIA.

CAR COUPLER.

Application filed April 5,

To all 111/? cm it may concern Be it known that 1. WILLIAM KnLso, acitizen of the United F tates. residing at Pittsburgh. in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania. have invented certain new anduseful Improven'ients in Car Couplers: and I do hereby declare the following to be a full. clear, and exact description of the inveutioiu suchas will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

My invention relates to the construction if car couplers of the MasterCar Builders type and particularly to that form commonly known as thestandard D-coupler.

The principal object of the invention is to provide simple and reliablemeans for preventing the coupler lock from accidentally moving to anunlocked position when the device is in service.

Generally stated, the principal feature of the invention consists inactuating the vertically movable and rearwardly swinging lock of aD-coupler by means of a lock lifter formed with a pin which is inclinedwith respect to the axis of swinging movement of the lock and whichserves to shift the lifter from beneath a shoulder upon the coupler headwhen the lifter is caused to execute 0 an unlocking movement, the lifternormally occupying a position beneath the said shoulder such that it isprevented from moving upwardly and therefore serves to restrain the lockto which it is connected from performing an accidental unlockingmovement.

In the drawings which illustrate my invention as applied to the MasterCar Builders standard D-coupler,-

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of the mechanism, the lock,knuckle opener, lock lifter and means for actuating the latter beingshown in elevation and in locked position.

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the 6 construction shown inFig. 1, portions of the device being broken away and the parts beingshown in locked relation.

Fig. 3 is a detail view corresponding to Fig. 2. showing a portion ofthe mechanism therein illustrated, the parts being in the positions theyoccupy when the coupler lock is released for an unlocking movement.

Fig. 4 is a detail View partly in elfivation 1923. Serial No. 680,138.

and partly in longitudinal section showing the relation assumed by thelifter and lock when the latter has been released from the control ofthe means for preventing its accidental unlocking.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the coupler head and 2 is the knucklepivotally mounted thereon by means of the usual knuckle pin 3. Theknuckle 2 is normally restrained from performing an uncoupling rotationby means of a vertically sliding and rearwardly swinging lock 4 which issu ported when in locked position upon a horizontally rotatable knuckleopening lever 5 operating within the coupler head. The upper part of thelock 4 is of comparatively large and heavy cross section and normallystands in the path of movement of the tail of the knuckle while thelower portion of the lock is in the form of a leg 6 which extendsdownwardly so as to pro ect through an opening 7 in the lower wall ofthe coupler head, After the lock 4 has been raised vertically asuiticient distance to permit outward rotation of the knuckle 2, thedepending leg 6 swings rearwardly and by pressing against the adjacentend of the knuckle opener 5 causes the latter to rotate. therebythrowing the knuckle to open position in the well understood manner.

While the standard Dcoupler is provided with means designed to preventthe lock from creeping upward and thus accidentally assuming an unlockedposition, the nature of the parts of the device and their relations aresuch that the desired result is not unfailingly accomplished under allcircumstances. The specific object of the present invention is to remedythis detect. 0 this end the leg 6 of the lock is provided near its lowerend with an opening. socket or recess 8 which is inclined in a directiontransversely of the coupler head and which preferably is of circularcross section, the higher end of said opening beinghat the side of thelock which is adjacent t e knuckle. This inclined recess receives apin 9carried by and preferably cast integral with a lock lifter member 10whose upper end 11 normally stands under the usual anti-creep shoulderor lug 12 with which the head of the D-coupler is provided at a pointadjacent the side of the lock 4 opposite the knuckle 2. The pin 9 whichpreferably circular in cross section is oi someivhat less diameter thanthe opening 8 in the lower end of the lo k 4. thus enabling the locklitter 10 to have a swinging movement to ward the lock resulting-in thewithdrawal of the upper end of said litter from beneath the anticreepshoulder 12 of the coupler head, a well as providing, clearance forallowing the pin 9 to turn within the opening 8 of the lock so as topermit said lock to execute its rearward swinging movement. The upperend 1] of the lock lifter may advantageously be inclined or beveled, asshown. to correspond substantially to the inclination of the pin 9,thereby enabling the upper end of said litter to stand but a shortdistance below the antiereep shoulder 12 of the coupler head when theparts are in locked position, and at the same time thereby affordingsufiicient clearance between said shoulder and the lifter to permit thelatter to pass from beneath the anticreep shoulder. By this means theupper end of the lifter l0 is caused to engage the anti-creep lug 12when the lock has moved upwardly a very short distance.

The lifter 10 is preferably actuated by a swinging arm or lever 13pivotally mounted upon the under side of the coupler head 1 by means ofa pin 14. This operating lever 13 and the manner of pivotally mountingit upon the coupler head may advantageously be. identical with similarfeatures of construction of the standard D-coupler. The lifter 10 ispivotally connected to the swinging lever 13 by means of a pivot pin orrivet 15, the connection between the parts 10 and 13 being such that thelifter 10 is capable not only of executing a pivotal movement in thedirection of length of the coupler, but also of swinging transversely ofthe coupler so as to cause its inclined pin 9 to slide in the recess oropening 8 of the lock.

Except for the difierences heretofore described the parts of the couplermechanism are preferably constructed like the corre sponding parts ofthe standard D-coupler. It will be appreciated, however. that while myinvention is especially applicable to the D type of coupler, it issusceptible of application to other forms of coupler mechanism as well.

When the lever 13 is swung upwardly in the operation of unlocking theoupler the upward movement of the lock lifter 10 with respect to thelock causes the inclined pin 9 to slide inwardly in the corres ondinginclined opening 8 at the lower end of the lock 4, thus causing theupper end 1]. of the lifter to move from beneath the cooperatingshoulder 12 of the coupler head 1. When the upper end of the lifter hasthus been withdrawn from beneath the shoulder 12 the continued upwardmovement of the operat ing member 13 and lifter l0 efi'eets an extendedunlocking movement of the lock 4.

I claim:

1. in a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, a vertically movable and rearwardly swinginglock for said knuckle. and a lock lifter for actuating said lock, saidlifter being slidably and pivotally connected to said lock so as to becapable of sliding with respect thereto transversely of said head andalso being capable of pivotin with respect to said lock when the latterexecutes its rearward swinging movement, and said head having a shoulderwhich is adapted to cooperate with said lifter when the latter is inlocked position to prevent said lock from accidentally moving tounlocked position.

2. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotallv mounted thereon, a vertically movable and rearwardly swinginglock for said knuckle,

and a lock lifter for actuating said lock,

said lifter being rotatably connected to said lock to permit the latterto execute its swinging movement and being movable laterally toward saidknuckle to withdraw it from beneath a shoulder upon the coupler head,and said head being provided adjacent the side of the lock which isopposite the knuckle with a shoulder adapted to cooperate with saidlifter to prevent said lock from accidentally moving to unlockedposition.

3. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, and. a lock lifterfor actuating said lock, said head being provided with a shoulderadapted to be engaged by said lifter to prevent said lock fromaccidentally moving to unlocked position, said lock being capable ofswinging movement and having a recess which is inclined transversely ofthe coupler head, and said lifter being provided with a pin which isinclined with respect to the axis of swinging movement of said lock andwhich extends into and is adapted to slide and turn within said recess.

4. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle, said lock beingadapted to have a swinging movement, a lock lifter for actuating saidlock, and means for operatively connecting said lifter to said lock topermit the latter to execute its swinging movement, said head beingprovided with a shoulder adapted to be engaged by said lifter to preventsaid lock from accidentally moving to unlocked position, and'said meansinvolving a pin which is inclined with res ect to the axis of swingingmovement 0 said lock and llt) which serves to shift said lifter frombeneath said shoulder when the lifter is caused to execute an unlockingmovement.

5. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle adapted to have aswinging movement, and a lock lifter for actuating said lock, saidlifter and lock having a pin and recess connection, said pin beinginclined to the horizontal, and said head being provided with a shoulderadapted to be engaged by said lifter to prevent said lock fromaccidentally moving to unlocked position.-

6. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, a vertically movable and rearwardly swinginglock for said knuckle, and a lock lifter for actuating said lock, saidlifter being provided with a pin which is inclined to the horizontal,said lock having an opening which is inclined to correspondsubstantially to said pin and within which said pin is slidable, andsaid head being provided with a shoulder adapted to be engaged by saidlifter to prevent said lock from accidentally moving to unlockedposition.

7. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotally mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle adapted to have aswinging movement, a lock lifter for actuating said lock, and meanspivotally mounted on said coupler head for actuating said lifter, saidliftei being provided with a in which is inclined to the horizontal,said lock being formed with a correspondingly inclined opening intowhich said pin extends, said lifter and said means for actuating itbeing pivotally connected b means permitting said pin to slide in saidopenin and said head being formed with a shou der adapted to be enagedby said lifter to prevent said lock om accidentally moving to unlockedposition.

8. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklepivotall' mounted thereon, a lock for said knuckle capable of swingingmovement, and a lock lifter for actuating said lock, said lifter beinpivotally connected to said lock and capa le of sliding with respectthereto transversely of the plane of swinging movement of said lock, andsaid head having a shoulder adapted to cooperate with said lifter whenthe latter is in locked position to prevent said lock from accidentallymovin to unlocked position.

n testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM KELSO.

